Discus fish attract attention, whether they are spawned naturally or some of the human bred kind.

Any time someone lays eyes on a discus aquarium for the first time, the reaction is usually the same. Eyes widen, mouth drops open, comments such as, “What type of fish are these?” or “Holy Cow, what a gorgeous aquarium!”.

People assume that it is a saltwater tank mainly because of the vivid colors and patterns.

An uninformed observer would not be able to suppose that there are merely four species of natural discus fish. The reason is that there are now so many discus fish types. (Well, the truth is there is possibly another species that is being contemplated now by scientists).

Wild discus fish call the Amazon River home. You know, the world’s longest river. And the Amazon is the ONLY place to find discus fish in the wild. Even then, each species is found separate from the others. They have their own “territory” in the Amazon River. They do not exist in the same environmental space for the most part.

The types of wild discus fish are reasonably elementary. Scientists have their own methods of naming discus, but identifying them as Green, Brown, Blue, and Heckel is much easier. How the Heckel got in there with those simple colors… ?

But it, the Heckel, is also characterized by two colors, either blue or red. You can tell if it’s a Heckel by the prominent darker stripe every fifth stripe along the body.

The demand for discus is huge. They are so pretty that many folks want to have them around all the time. An aquarium with discus fish wandering slowly to and fro has a relaxing, or calming effect on a home.

The result of the demand has itself spawned “discus farms” all over. These domestic breeders have used selective breeding techniques to produce many different varieties of discus that have even more eye-catching colors and patterns.

Sometimes the colors are solid, as in the Golden Discus. This fish is a solid striking yellow color, one that you would definitely not see in the wild.

Then there are patterns called Leopard and Snakeskin and Leopard Snakeskin, each of which has a different color and/or pattern. One thing remains the same, though. It’s the round, thin body style that is characteristic of discus fish.

Which are the more desirable, wild discus fish or man-bred\domestic discus? Consider two things.

First, wild discus fish come from a totally different ecosystem than their domestic cousins. You have the clear, clean water of the breeders vs the muddy, murky water of the Amazon River. So, there may be some things the aquarium hobbyist should remember to do to try to keep the tank suitable for these varieties.

Next, fish from trustworthy breeders are used to the type of environment that you will probably supply for them, and they are more likely to be healthy coming from a controlled tank (remember, the key is getting them from “reputable” breeders – know where your fish are coming from).

Finding the most amazing variety of aquarium fish for you is really a matter of personal preference and personal education. If you are an aquarium hobbyist “wanna-be”, make sure you get the education before you dive into the tank with pricey fish. You might want to check websites that are dedicated to getting you the best start possible.